Display tray



PY l3, 41937- H. H. WILLIAMS 2,076,690

DI SPLAY TRAY Filed July 27, 195e 2 sheets-sheet 1 Jil pri 13, 19377. H. H. WILLIAMS DI S PLAY TRAY Filed July 27, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UNITED STATES einen PATENT orgies DISPLAY TRAY Herman H. Williams, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Northrup, King & Company, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Appucation Julyl 27, 1936, serinNo. 92,744-

3 Claims.

My present invention provides a simple, very strong and durable, and, generally, highly eicient combined display and shipping tray for containing seed parcels and the like.; and, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices, combinations of devices and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and defined in the claims. This improved tray is adapted for various different uses and is adapted to be supported'in various diierent ways, but as illuswith, one under Serial Number 92,742, and the other under Serial Number 92,743.

The body o-f the improved tray is designed to be made from a thin sheet metal sheet, bent to form a series of containing troughs or channels in stepped relation so that the vback flange of each trough is much higher or deeper than the front flange thereof. The front and back flanges of the troughs or channels are tied together and reinforced by truss bars applied through the end portions thereof and rigidly secured thereto by spot-welding. Light partition rods are extended through the flanges of the troughs to divide the same into` compartments.

A commercial form of the device is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation showing the complete tray;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. l, some parts being broken away, and showing the front flange of the tray in full lines before it has been turned down to the nal position indicated by dotted lines;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. l, and showing the front ange by full lines in the position before it has been turned down to the final position shown by dotted lines; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary transverse section taken on the oblique line 6 6 of Fig. 2.

The body of the tray is made from a single piece of thin sheet metal I bent upon itself to form a multiplicity of troughs or containing channels 8 that are open at their ends. These troughs are in a stepped relation, and the metal sheet 'l is bent to form relatively high or deep rear walls 'Iciv and relatively low or shallow walls, 'lb of joining channels, preferably tightly pressed together. At its upper edge the metal sheet I is extended rearwardly and then bent downwardly to form a seating flange 9 that is adapted to be hung upon a transverse support which is a rod Ill, indicated by dotted lines only in Figs. 2 and 3. The front edge portion of the sheet 'l is extended at II and bent downward to form a retaining flange adapted to engage another transverse support rod I2 indicated only by dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3. To prevent the exposure of sharp edges, the flanges 9 and Il are folded back upon themselves, as indicated at 9m and I Ia, respectively. Also, to prevent the exposure of sharp edges at the sides of the tray the sheet 'I is folded back upon itself, as indicated at lc, see

particularly Fig. 6. The supporting rods I9 and d To reinforce and give great strength to the tray,

quite light truss bars or at sheet metal straps I3 are extended through slots formed in the front and rear flanges of the trough-forming structure; and these truss bars are rigidly connected to said flanges by spot-weldings, indicated at I4. These truss bars I3 are located close to the extreme side edges of the tray and are extended through slots formed in the inturned edge flanges 1c, as well as in the front and rear-forming flanges.

To divide the troughs or channels into a multiplicity of compartments, partition rods I5 are passed freely through perforations in the troughforming flanges. The upper ends of said rods I5 are bent downward, as shown in ia, to limit the downward movements of said rods, and the lower ends of said rods are bent downward at |51. Figs. 4 and 5show the front flange of the trough-forming sheet 'I before it has been turned down to nal position. When this flange I Ia is turned down to flnal position, as shown by full lines in Figs. l, 2 and 3 and by dotted lines in Figs. 4 and 5, it will cover and hide from View the lower ends of the truss bars I3 and the lower ends of the partition rods I5.

The tray described is sort of a trussed struc ture, and obviously, the tray constructed as described may be made of very strong, even when made of very light, metal, if the tray is made with open end troughs so that it can be very easily cleaned out. The device affords a highly eiiicient shipping tray that may be lled with the seed parcels or like material that is later to be displayed where the articles are to be sol-d. Inasmuch as the backs of the troughs are higher than the front portions, the upper portions of the former will usually be displayed above the articles contained in the troughs, and hence, aord surfaces on which advertising matter, instructions, or other data may be printed. The tray is intended to be supported approximately at the angle shown in position the back flanges Yof the troughs are inclined slightly so that the printing or reading matter contained thereon will be .exposed ata better reading angle to a person standing in front of the tray. A preferred form of the tray has been illustrated, but it will vbe understood that -it K is capable of modifications within the scope of the invention herein disclosed and claimed,y What Iclaim is: Y

Y 1.` A tray of the kind described comprising a'.

body portion made up of a piece of sheet metal bent to form a plurality of troughs with relatively high rear and relatively low front walls forming troughs in stepped relation, the lower portion of said sheet metal being bent downward to form a ange extending below the bottom of the lower K trough and with their upper ends terminating at the back of the rear Wall 'of the upper trough.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said truss bars are at metal members located at Figs. 2 and 3, and it will be noted that Vin suchV the extreme ends of the trough and extended through slots in the walls of said troughs leaving `the ends of the troughs open except for said trussv bars.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 in further and the front Wall of the lower trough and the upper ends of said partition rods being terminated at the back of the rear wall of the upper trough.

HERMAN H. WILLIAMS. 

